Are you new to special education? Are you nervous for your first IEP meeting? As a special education teacher the idea of running an IEP meeting with parents can be very intimidating. I have learned over the years how to make this a very smooth process. Here are my tips!
1. Establish a Relationship with Parents
Do not wait until the meeting to establish a relationship with parents! If you already have a good report with them the meeting will definitely go a lot smoother. Parents should not go into the meeting and meet you or hear from you for the first time. Keep them updated throughout the year about their child’s progress and leave an open line for communication. I keep a list of parent contact information so I can easily contact parents. I also keep a communication log so that I know exactly when I spoke to each parent and what was discussed! I attached pictures below of what I use.
2. Be Positive!
Whether you personally are a parent or not REMEMBER you are speaking to someone about their child. Even if this student is the worst behaved in the class you MUST keep in mind that this is their child and they will be sensitive to what you say and HOW you say it! Start with the positive. There is always something positive you can come up with even if the child has a ton of negative qualities. This will set the tone for the meeting.
3. Know Your Students!
You need to know your students. REALLY KNOW THEM! Do you know his or her disability and service time? Does your student receive speech, OT, PT, or APE? Know how the student is doing in class. Do not just tell parents they are doing well. Come with specific student work examples and present levels of performance. You should have numerical data to justify what you are saying. I posted below two charts that I love to organize this information.
4. Check the Dates
Are you within IEP compliance dates for this meeting? You don’t want to have to have parents sign extra forms because you are meeting after the IEP dates. Remember an IEP is a LEGAL document. You must be within compliance dates. You also must be sure to sign for a re-evaluation on time if it is due. Re-evaluations in my state are due every 3 years. It is super important to have all of your paperwork organized and completed. I use the form below to keep a list of when the IEP’s are due so that I am always in compliance.
5. Invite Parents & Remind
Parents should be sent home a formal invitation to the IEP meeting. I attached the one I use below, but many districts have their own. It is also good practice to send the parents a reminder the day before. That could be an email or a phone call.
6. Know the IEP
As the special educator it is YOUR job to know the IEP in and out. You need to know the goals and objectives, the necessary accommodations, and service delivery times like the back of your hand. You also need to be sure that every service provider also updated their own information in the IEP. You never want to go to a meeting unprepared. When I attend meetings the draft IEP is 100% finished with only minor edits after the meeting. I use the following sheets to organize the IEP information. I even use these to give to the regular education teachers and all other teachers involved with the students at the beginning of the year.
Special Education Teacher Bible
If you like all the sheets I shared check out this Special Education Teacher Planner! This Editable Special Education Teacher Planner comes in BOTH Printable and Digital forms. You can edit the digital Google Slide version to suit your needs, but I will update it for you each year. This is ESSENTIAL for any special education teacher. Includes tons of organizational sheets, monthly calendars, weekly lesson plan sheets, IEP goal banks, student data sheets, IEP meeting checklists & MORE!
Specific Product Description:
✔Over 200 Printable Pages
✔Over 200 Digital (Editable) Google Slides
✔Teacher Schedule
✔Student List
✔Student Information
✔Student Service Schedule
✔IEP Compliance Dates
✔Initial Referrals
✔Communication Log
✔Observation Notes
✔My Goals
✔To Do List
✔A Glance at an IEP
✔Present Levels
✔Student Data Sheet
✔Notes
✔2022/2023 Calendar
✔Monthly Calendar for this school year
✔Blank Monthly Calendars
✔Weekly Lesson Plan Sheets
✔IEP Goal Bank
✔Accommodations & Modifications
✔Parent Meeting Letter
✔Meeting Checklist
